Hagel takes flak for deep Pentagon budget cuts

Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel comes under fire from Senate Republicans as he presents a Pentagon budget marked by deep cutbacks days after a Russian invasion of the Crimean Peninsula in Ukraine.

▲ Hide Transcript

▶ View Transcript

You come here with a budget. That constrained us in the way we choose. Unprecedented since previous times the smallest army. Change prior to World War II smallest navy. Some time after World War I yes sir if you look at just straight numbers but there's more to it than that you know its capability. The question is whether the resource is that we're providing to the Department of Defense are adequate. To enable our military to meet. Its national security missions it would be the most irresponsible. Act of a commander in chief or secretary differences. Iranian leader to send men and women into war. Not prepare not equipped not -- not best rate. That is part of the balance so we have to assure that that will continue it is widely reported in the media today. That our intelligence committee sources did not. -- -- -- The Russian invasion would take place we sat through which you're intelligence sources as well I don't get into specifics in an open hearing but. If if you would like you briefly your staff on the specifics of your question about commenting on news reports while saying that. What news reports and news reports but that I just came ill gotten really acknowledges. There was a NATO Ukraine commission meeting and earlier last week we were may do well aware of this threat. The fact is the secretary. It was not protected by intelligence and that sort of well known which is another massive failure because of our. Initial reading. Total misreading of the tensions. Vladimir Putin this wasn't a sudden or do you know -- -- there are unnamed quotes out of the Pentagon. No more landlords. Don't want land wars that's what. Where we're reducing our forces. The degree we are we've seen that movie performs secretary affect you and I have. Sought after world war two and we were prepared for Korea we sought after Korea and we weren't ready for -- and and now we are going to be -- ignoring the lessons of history. Again. And it's really -- -- do you consider this -- general Dempsey and appease. And no senator would be hard to describe that that can be hard described this as time -- the budget. 3.2 percent is below its dramatically below what Lou it's been a -- and the -- we'll see if we can reconcile net. I certainly have never seen such a time of unpredictability. I just in the world threats and certainly but it budgets. Resources where's all -- going. And in an enterprise as you all know the size of pentagon. If it's an imperfect. So dynamic so we're trying to plan in --

University of York scientists say 850 million tonnes of carbon dioxide could be mineralised each year by combining sea water, graphite, solar-powered electricity, and scrap metal in a purpose-built reactor

Reuters, the news and media division of Thomson Reuters, is the world’s largest international multimedia news provider reaching more than one billion people every day. Reuters provides trusted business, financial, national, and international news to professionals via Thomson Reuters desktops, the world's media organizations, and directly to consumers at Reuters.com and via Reuters TV. Learn more about Thomson Reuters products: